Principal Clinical Psychologist Older Adult Inpatient, fixed term
NHS AfC: Band 8b
Main area Psychology Grade NHS AfC: Band 8b Contract 12 months (Fixed term to finish Dec 2027.) Hours
- Part time
- Flexible working
24 hours per week (0.65 wte) Job ref 437-8286387
Site Atherleigh Park Town Leigh Salary £66,582 – £77,368 pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 09/10/2026 23:59
Job overview
We are delighted to offer a fixed-term or secondment opportunity for an experienced Band 8b Principal Clinical Psychologist to join our Older Adult Inpatient Psychology Service.
Based at Atherleigh Park Hospital, Leigh, this exciting role combines clinical leadership within our Older Adult inpatient ward (Golborne Unit) with opportunities to influence and develop psychologically informed care across the wider inpatient pathway. The successful candidate will play a key role in supporting the continued development of inpatient psychological provision while working collaboratively with colleagues to enhance the experience and outcomes of older adults accessing acute mental health services.
This post has arisen as maternity leave cover and offers an excellent opportunity for an experienced clinician to further develop leadership, service development and quality improvement skills within a supportive and innovative psychology service. Applications are welcomed from candidates seeking either a fixed-term appointment or a secondment opportunity.
Main duties of the job
You will join a passionate, welcoming and highly skilled Older Adult Inpatient and Urgent Care Psychology team, working alongside multidisciplinary colleagues to embed psychologically informed and formulation-led approaches to care. The role offers the opportunity to contribute to the development of new pathways, identify and respond to areas of unmet need for older adults experiencing mental health crisis, and lead on service improvement initiatives that enhance care across the pathway.
The successful applicant will receive support from the Professional Psychology Lead for Older Adult Inpatient Services and will be part of a wider network of psychologists working across Older Adult Acute Services. You will also work closely with an Assistant Psychologist on the ward and contribute to the supervision, development and growth of psychological practice within the service.
For further information, informal discussion or a visit to the team, please contact: Dr Ruth Watson, Consultant Clinical Psychologist ruth.watson@gmmh.nhs.uk Tel; 0161 357 1260
Working for our organisation
Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Foundation Trust employs over 7000 members of staff, who deliver services from more than 122 locations.
We provide inpatient and community-based mental health care for people living in Bolton, the city of Manchester, Salford,Trafford and the borough of Wigan, and a wide range of specialist mental health and substance misuse services across Greater Manchester, the north west of England and beyond.
Greater Manchester is one of the world’s most innovative, original and exciting places to live and work. From the beauty of the surrounding countryside to the heart of the vibrant inner city with great shopping, entertainment and dining options.
Wherever you go you will experience a great northern welcome with people famed for their warmth, humour and generosity.
Our people enjoy their work, have opportunities to learn and develop their skills and are encouraged to generate new ideas that improve care for our service users.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
This post has arisen as maternity leave cover and offers an excellent opportunity for an experienced clinician to further develop leadership, service development and quality improvement skills within a supportive and innovative psychology service. Applications are welcomed from candidates seeking either a fixed-term appointment or a secondment opportunity.
Please see job description and person specification.
Person specification
Qualifications
- HCPC registration as a Clinical Psychologist
- Additional training in therapeutic modality or neuropsychology
Experience
- Experience of working with complexity in Dementia / Older Adult Mental health
Important Information about working for GMMH: All positions within the Trust are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks, for further information on the checks required please visit the NHS Employers website www.nhsemployers.org
The Trust mandates all post holders who require a DBS for their role to subscribe to the DBS Update Service. You will be required to enrol for this service for a fee of £16 per year and maintain registration throughout your employment with GMMH.
We are aspiring to ensure our workforce is representative of the diverse communities that we serve, and we are strongly committed to removing barriers to employment for candidates from under-represented groups, for example BAME, Disabled and LGBT+ communities. If you would like to have an informal chat about the recruitment process for this role or would value some additional support, we’d love to hear from you.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications
A candidate may utilise the help of AI when writing job application.The assessment of an application is made on its entirety and most times AI-generated content does not fully grasp the context and requirements of the job one applies for thus producing inaccurate and misleading information, especially in the supporting statement section of an application that can lack real life examples of one’s achievements, success and challenges.
We have added a disclaimer to our application process advising that the use of AI is monitored. GMMH reserves the right to follow up with a candidate at the interview on specific responses and those examples used in the supporting statement to explore it further.
Sponsorship
We are proud to be an approved sponsor for the Skilled Worker visa. Applications from individuals who require sponsorship will be considered alongside all other applications. Please be aware that not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible roles and salary requirements on the UK Government’s website – click here .
If you are offered a role with us and you require sponsorship, we will check your eligibility in line with the information on the above website. Your offer of employment could be withdrawn if the role is not eligible for sponsorship, and you are not otherwise able to evidence your right to work in the UK.
The Home Office introduces new changes from 22/07/2025 that impact the health and care sector, you may wish to familiarise with it here .
Do you have experience outside the NHS?
We want to attract and retain people with diverse skills and experience, to deliver inclusive healthcare services to our communities.
We will consider relevant experience outside the NHS to calculate your salary on appointment. Please contact our Recruitment Team for more information.
**Please note, this vacancy may be closed at any time if sufficient applications have been received**
Employer certification / accreditation badges
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
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